Veiled
by Magicing
Summary: Kidnapped to be part of a plan to take down The Volturi, Ara must decide to prove herself more worthy than the other captives in the hunt for immortality, before the vampires who kidnapped her decide that she is worth more dead than alive.
1. Chapter 1

**Selected**

"My name is Ara," I told the beautiful man with the clipboard. He wrote my name down and went to the next person.

I was terrified. Just one minute I was walking home late at night from the drugstore, and the next minute I was flying through the air, then the woods, and then I was in this huge white room.

I pulled my hijab tighter around my head, to hide my hair, and started praying to Allah. I was a good Afghanistan girl, who didn't deserve this. I got up every morning and did what I was supposed to do.

Surely, Allah had made a mistake in punishing the wrong girl. Maybe he meant to take Azita, down the street. She didn't even cover her arms anymore or even bothered to hide her hair.

Just because we lived in America now, doesn't mean we have to abandon our culture. But instead of her being here, I was the one surrounded by other frightened people, and a number of individuals with bright red eyes.

The large door at the back of this white room opened, and in came a very pale, very beautiful man. He walked with a grace that made him look like a god.

He had large red eyes like the others, but his hair was fiery red, and his face was cruel.

"Welcome," He said in an accent I couldn't place. Everybody stilled. We all wanted to know what was going on.

"You have all been selected to join our cause," he said. There was sudden murmuring amongst us.

"I am sure that you are all afraid as to where you are, but if you follow the rules down here, and prove yourself worthy, you will live, and if you are lucky, you may even gain immortality." He said in his strange voice.

I was so frightened I found myself saying, "What are you?" and immediately regretted it, not because the beautiful man looked at me, but because I had spoken. Women should not speak, unless being directly spoken too.

"Vampire," He answered. I tried unsuccessfully to shield myself more with my hijab, but it was pointless. Vampires, they were those demons that Americans were obsessed with. And they existed.

"Good luck," The redheaded man said, and left. The man who was writing down everybody's name down on the clipboard came to the center of the room and said, "Men on left, women on right."

Everybody stood up and followed instructions. I noticed that all of us were around the same age group. The youngest looking around 16 and the oldest looking about 30 years of age. I was nineteen, and my birthday was next month. If I even lived that long.

I was sad. Twenty years was not a long time. I feel like I had barely lived. I had spent my life serving others just to end up here. It was a cruel joke. A female vampire came into the room and started to shuffle us out of the room.

The room we entered next looked like a spa. Another beautiful women entered.

"My name is Beth and this room is the cleansing area. When Adrian, our leader, sees you again, you need to look respectable. Or you die." She said.

All of us girls and women cringed. This women was beautiful though. Short white blond hair that stopped at her neck. She was very tall. Maybe 5'10, and she spoke with an authority that had me thinking that she was second in command.

"You," she said to me, as other female vampires led the girls away to perfect their images for the big reveal. "Take that off of your head," She finished.

"Bu-," I was about to protest. My hijab, was a part of who I was. "Unless you want to die. It's time for you have your own identity, and to stop being unnoticed." She said.

The only time I took off my hijab was when I was going to sleep or taking a shower. I slowly removed the veil, and my hair came tumbling down to my waist. Beth looked impressed. "Much better," She said.

I folded up my hijab and put it close to my heart. Nobody was going to rip my culture from me. Another female vampire came and started to undress me, saying that I needed new clothing, and that I needed to style my hair.

A quick clothing change, and a few snips, my head felt lighter with the layers being added, and my clothes were a lot less constricting.

I looked at myself in the mirror and saw new woman. I didn't look at the myself for long because it embarrassed me. But I could see that the eyeliner made my already large eyes, seem even larger, and that my hair now framed my oval face better.

The shoes they gave me, made me seem taller than my 5'1 frame.

"The men are ready," Said the same guy with the clipboard. "Adrian says he is ready." He concluded.

"Thank you, Whitney," Beth said to clipboard man with the strange colored blondish red hair.

"Ladies, we will all meet in the auditorium, and Adrian is going to tell you why you have been selected." Beth said.

All the ladies got up and looked nervous. We all wanted to know our cause. We followed the red eyes vampires down a long stair case. By now, I was pretty sure we were underground. The amount of stairs that we have taken thus far was ridiculous.

We entered another large room, with chairs. The boys were already waiting, looking clean and _cleansed,_ just like us girls were.

When we were all quiet, Adrian entered the room.

"As of today," He began, "You knew not of the existence of vampires. There are certain laws, that keep us from exposing ourselves, and they are rightly placed. The vampires that impose these laws are called The Volturi."

"They eliminated some of our coven, because they feared that our number had grown too big. The few of us that escaped, want revenge, but we do not have the powers that they have. Hopefully some of you will have that power."

We all gasped. "That's right," Adrian said, "You are here to be part of the army that we have already assembled." One thing was certain in that sentence. We weren't the first to be in this position.

"If you're lucky," He said, "You will become immortal, and be part of the new guard, if not you die, and won't be remembered."

I was trying to process all of this. Vampire enforcers, army, powers? I was almost more confused after he told us the explanation than before.

"Hopefully there are no problems with this arrangement," Adrian said daring anybody to protest.

I almost did, but one of the guys, maybe in his early twenties stood up and said, "I have a problem, why do-," He was interrupted by one of the male vampires standing around. The vampire knocked him to the ground and broke his leg.

The bloodcurdling scream was too much for me, but I did nothing, because I knew if I did, I would be next. The vampire than dragged him out of the room by his broken leg. And the boy screamed all the way to the exit.

What I heard next, I will never forget. An immense amount of growling. The screams turned to moans and then just stopped altogether. The male vampire came back in and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Anybody else have a problem?" Adrian asked again. Nobody moved a finger. These vampires were strong and fast. I wondered what we smelled like to them.

"Good," Adrian said, "Because after most of you prove yourself worthy of the gift of immortality, and we add more to our numbers after this group, we will take the next step."

This group wasn't going to be the last. I tried to cover myself up more with my hijab, before I remembered that it was tucked away safely.

"The next step," Adrian said menacingly, "Is taking out The Volturi."


	2. Chapter 2

**Alive**

After Adrian had told us our purpose, the vampires took all of us to a marble room with white bunk beds. I was mortified. An unmarried woman should never share a room with males.

But I didn't dare protest. I wasn't ready to suffer like that unfortunate boy earlier today.

"This is your sleeping quarters," said Whitney, the vampire with the clipboard. "But don't get too cozy, many of you won't survive tomorrow to come back. Only those with potential have the right to live down here." He finished, and in a flash was out of the room.

The bunks started filling up quickly, as everybody tried to get a bed away from the entrance doors. I grabbed the bunk closest to me, and laid down.

That night, many of the captives cried. I may have too if I wasn't so paranoid. Only the strong will survive down here, and it wouldn't surprise me if the vampires had some surveillance down here and thought that crying was a show of weakness.

Instead, I removed my hijab from under my new shirt, and pulled it to my face. It still smelled of home, and I wondered if anybody was looking for me.

I heard sniffling from the bunk on top of mine. The sniffling lulled me to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later a velvety voice that I now knew accompanied the sound of a vampire.

"UP!" He said sternly. I was surprised. I felt like I had just shut my eyes.

"My name is Luca, and I am going to be your trainer," He said.

I got out of my bed quickly. That night I had dreamed that I was the one being dragged out by a broken ligament only to be silenced when my body ran out to blood. I didn't want to be a target. Obeying would keep me alive down here longer.

But I wasn't the only one who had this thought. Many were already up. Luca was intimidating to even just look at.

He looked like one of those professional wrestlers on television, but without all the scars, and he was ten times as beautiful. His blonde hair was cropped short, and his huge arms as well as his tall height made him look like he was playing no games.

"Good," He laughed, when everybody was up. "Usually, I have to kill a defiant nobody, when they refuse to get up." Nobody laughed with him.

"I will be training you in hand to hand combat. If your good, you are one step closer to your goal; living. If you have more trouble than others…let's just say, there are a lot of thirsty vampires down here."

He proceeded to tell us where everything was. The _eatery, _which was a fancy word for cafeteria, was down the hallway. The combat room, was two stories above the eatery.

"The only place you are not allowed access near at all," Luca said, "Is the developing wing. That is where all the newborns are at, and if they catch a whiff of you, you're dead."

"Newborns?" Somebody said. Luca glared at that person.

"New Vampires," He said coldly. "You will probably never be one, since you have the audacity to speak without be spoken too." He said to the person, and then turned his attention back to the whole of us.

"You are all here by yourselves. Don't think that there is power in numbers around us. This is survival of the fittest, every man for themselves. With that being said, throughout training, we will test you on loyalty, combat, and electronics."

He stopped when he saw that a majority of us were confused about the electronics part.

"We need hackers to see where The Volturi are taking their planes or boats. You have fifteen minutes to change into appropriate clothes. Then I will take you to the eatery for thirty minutes. After that combat training begins." He finished. Then he left the rooms.

I hadn't noticed last night, but there was clothing underneath the bunks. Our names were taped to the pieces of clothing. I took my clothes and ran to the bathroom stalls.

There were about forty to fifty bathroom amenities waiting on the counter, which is about how many people were crammed into this bunk. I took a toothbrush, and a towel and ran to the many showers.

It wasn't long until the others got the same idea. I prayed to Allah, to help me through this day. I remembered what the clipboard vampire said. _But don't get too cozy, many of you won't survive tomorrow to come back. _

I changed in the shower, because I didn't want any of the men looking at my naked body. The minute I came out, another person jumped in.

I brushed my long thick hair. And tied the tennis shoes that they gave us really tight. Luca came back in. When he heard that somebody was still in the shower, he went to the bathroom in a blur. That's when we all heard the many screams.

I put my hands to my ears in an attempt to drown out the screaming. When Luca came back out with his hair drenched. All he said was, "Time is of the essence, this way to the eatery."

We all hurried after him. Nobody wanted to be next. But before I left, I counted eight empty bunks.

My heart was beating frantically. I had survived this test, but what about what was coming next? The eatery smelled very nice. There were bagels, pancakes, bacon, and eggs just waiting for us. A variety of fruits, as well as a selection of juices.

I hadn't realized just how hungry I was, until the smell hit me. And I understand now that we are all underground, but the room looked like a fancy restaurant at a hotel. Still, nobody moved a muscle until Luca said that it was okay.

"Thirty minutes, and you all better be standing right here when I get back." Then he was gone.

I ran to where the food was being held, and grabbed a plate. I moved fast and got only what I could finish in thirty minutes.

Few people sat together, but a majority of us sat by ourselves. This place wasn't going to be a group effort. The sooner everybody learned that, the better.

I made sure to only eat what I could and still exercise after words. I doubt that Luca would have patience for somebody needing to digest their food.

There was seven minutes left, and everybody was rushing to get to the waiting station. I finished my apple juice, cleaned my table, and ran to the waiting station.

When Luca came back, everybody was waiting for him. "Good," was all he said before we made our way to the combat room.

When we entered the room, we all gasped. There were rubber dummies hanging from everywhere, televisions showing combat techniques….but what really surprised us was that there were other humans.

They were all wearing red shirts. And come to think of it, we were all wearing green. These people were part of another group. They looked at us, like we were inferior, which probably means that they have been here awhile.

"Fresh meat!" one of the guys called. I almost rolled my eyes. I had had people say to my family and I, _fresh of the boat._ But the truth is, that we are all here in the same situation….why does it matter who was here first when we could all die.

"The combat room," Luca said, ignoring the red group, "You will train with various groups, some have been here before you…but if you survive long enough, you will meet new groups. Sit down." He commanded us.

We all sat down in front of large mats on the floor.

"Erin," Luca said to a girl in a red shirt. The girl named Erin walked over. She was large and bulky, with mousy brown hair.

"Everybody, this is Erin," Luca said, "She is going to the developing center tomorrow to be changed, but before that, she is going to show you some techniques." Luca finished

Erin held her head up high. She had survived the survival process, and now she was going to be immortal.

She showed us the beginning stages of where our hands should be, and how far apart our feet should be. She talked about weight distribution, and how height won't matter if you use certain techniques, which I listened vividly to.

I noticed that they didn't let us get up and try it just yet, they wanted to see if we could pay attention, which I am sure was a test. Erin talked about loyalty, and how you would have to prove that you could be loyal, and how to earn trust, like she did.

Then out of nowhere, Luca threw a dummy head to the ground.

"Whoever picks this up, lives." I almost lunged for it. But if I live, does that mean that the rest of this green team dies? Nobody moved for a minute. And Luca started to feign cracking his knuckles.

That's when the tension broke, as about twenty people in green, went for the dummy head. I wasn't going to compromise my morals just so I could live for what? Another day? I had to be true and loyal to myself, of I would lose who I was.

I was disgusted at how these people were fighting. And I saw that the other people in green who didn't go for the head were disgusted too…..And so was Luca.

He started clapping his hands. "The ones who went for the head, you passed the test. Go into those double doors to receive your reward."

I was confused, shouldn't their reward be to stay and live? Shouldn't the people who didn't go for the head, be escorted to a room?

When the doors closed behind the last person, the screaming started.

"Don't be too quick to sentence others to death," Luca was saying above the screaming. I looked around. Out about the fifty people who arrived here yesterday, there were only about twenty of us left.

"That's all the training for today. Tomorrow the real training begins. Many of you will be too bruised to continue. The good news is, that I am always thirsty for quitters. Go get accustomed to your surroundings, and enjoy your free time today, because it is going to be the only one you ever get," He said.

The only thing that went through my mind is that I survived the first day. I was alive.

**A/N: Alright, that's all for this chapter. What do you all think of Ara? Luca? **

**Do any of you have any suggetions?**

**Read and Reviews please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Beating**

My heart was beating frantically as I dodged my opponents punches. I had survived a full seven days down here, and it wasn't getting any easier.

"Stop thinking," Luca hissed at me. "Give yourself over to your instincts."

I was trying, but it's kind of hard when your opponent is over six feet, while I am only five feet.

"Done," Luca said to both of us. "You both are doing well, but you can't dodge forever," He said patting us on the back.

I cringed as I felt his cold hard hand. This is what the vampires do, they try to gain your trust, and when you least expect it, they snap you neck like a twig.

That's what happened to a few people on my green recruit pod. They thought that being friendly with the vampires meant that they could slack off. They all had rude awakenings.

Of the twenty somethings of us left after that first day, now there were only eleven of us.

To be honest, it is only by the grace of Allah that I am here, otherwise I would have already been dead.

"Dinner at the eatery, and then get back in line," Luca said. The green pod as a whole walked silently to the dining pavilion. Other recruits were there as well. The red pod was there, as well as other pods that we haven't seen before.

There were two left from blue, and eight from yellow. They all looked at us like we were incoming freshmen at a high school and they were now sophomores. Which is really pathetic, because if you think about it, they were freshman a couple months ago.

We all sat together after we retrieved our food. Nobody said a word to each other. In fact, I didn't even know the names of the people who were left.

I didn't want to. You just never know whose next, and getting personal with somebody wasn't going to get you to the finish line.

The other color recruits got up and went down a hall; some place that we haven't been before.

We all lined up and waited for Whitney, the clipboard guy, and green pods _caregiver. _

"Alright, green," Whitney said addressing us, "You few have lasted an entire week, which is a lot down here. Some selections get wiped out in the first couple days, but you all have given us much to consider."

"With that being said, you all are going to the mezzanine." Than he gestured for us to follow.

We all obeyed with haste. We down the same hallway that the red, blue, and yellow recruits went down. We came into this dark corridor, and many of us were feeling anxious. If it wasn't for the laughter of the other recruits down the hall, I think that it would have been too much for me.

We came into this brightly lit room. It was full of recruits all various colors. Red, blue, yellow, orange, purple….the list goes on. There were about eighty recruits in this room.

Some of the recruits look like they have been there awhile. Looking around late thirties to early forties. Years of their lives wasted down here. I felt sorry for them. But apparently they didn't feel sorry for themselves.

The room was also full of vampires, and many recruits, particularly the older ones, were mingling with them. Obviously hoping to get in favor with them.

I hadn't noticed that the rest of the green pod had already gone on ahead to the mini-bar and the food and poker table, and whatever other amenities that looked like a blast. I was left standing there on my own.

My hand instantly went half way to my head to adjust my hijab, before I stopped myself.

Whitney was looking at me like he understood my hand motion.

"Ara, right?" He asked looking friendly.

I nodded and walked straight ahead. I had no intention of trying to get friendly with any vampire.

"Wait up," Whitney said. It was not needed, because _wait _was a word people used make the other person slow down.

I turned around slowly. All I wanted was to fly under the radar, and maybe blend in with the other recruits, but this blonde headed vampire wouldn't let me be.

He read the look on my face and said, "It gets easier, you know."

We stood there in awkward silence, and then he continued.

"About sixty years back, I was in your position. Barely made it to the finish line, but just so you know, as soon as you become a vampire, the others treat you as equals."

I was shocked. This group of vampires have been trying for sixty years….maybe even more. How many people have died just for the sake of revenge. I was disgusted.

Whitney's face looked shocked, probably at the expression I was giving him. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by a blonde in a purple recruit shirt.

"Hey Whitney," She purred.

"Tessa," He nodded towards her, but not taking his eyes off my angry ones.

That's when Tessa gave me one of those looks that the Americans give me and other people from the Middle East, when they see us at an airport.

I was used to it, and usually I would divert my eyes. But today I was too angry. Of all the people who were recruits sixty years back, there were only a handful of vampires to be shown. And maybe there were more, I had only seen a section of this underground dungeon.

What was the point of playing coward now, when the chance of living was so slim. So I glared at Tessa.

Tessa was one of the girls down here that used their looks to their advantage. She white blonde hair that stopped at her chest, and vivid green eyes. She was what many would describe as looking like a Barbie.

We stared at each other for a while until I decided she wasn't really worth my time. Before I could walk away, she said, "Who are you?" and she possessively put her hand on Whitney's shoulder.

I almost felt sorry for her. The girls that tried to make the male vampires fall in love with them, always ended up being a hot snack.

There was a long uncomfortable silence.

"Ara," Whitney answered for me.

Tessa flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Whitney just stared at me with a raised eyebrow.

I had had enough of this nonsense. With one last glare at each of them, I turned on my heel and went to a snack bar.

Five minutes later, Luca walked into the Mezzanine, and barked over the ruckus.

"Recruits! Welcome the green to your number. In ten minutes we will have our weekly rumble. One color recruit, against another. Everybody to the training room." He finished.

I was mortified. Some of these recruits have been here for months, maybe even years. I have only been here for a week. Hopefully I can just keep my head low and try to be unnoticed.

I caught Tessa looking at me with a glow in her eye. I vividly tried to remember everything I learned this week, because there is a good chance Tessa will try to challenge me tonight.

**A/N: I know, it's a filler chapter, but it was necessary, because I want you all to see how daily life is in "vampire bootcamp."**

**Any suggestions? Read and reviews please. Until next time.**


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